Meet Joseph Vijay: The Fathima Alumnus Who Stormed Into TN Politics
The Fathima School alumnus, Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, or simply Vijay, is the latest Filmstar who has stormed into the Tamil Nadu Politics
The Fathima School alumnus, Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, or simply Vijay, is the latest Filmstar who has stormed into the Tamil Nadu Politics.
Political analysts were unsure if Thalapathy Vijay will be able to contest against the political heavyweights – the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK, when the Tamil Nadu went to the polls on April 23, 2026.
The Exit Polls were also divided, with most of them predicting the return of Stalin’s DMK government. But, few pollsters were there who saw the Gen-Z wave in Vijay’s favour. Their predictions proved right as EVMs were opened for counting of votes Monday May 04, 2026.
As per the latest trends, Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is leading in over 100 of the total 234 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, the AIADM candidates ahead in 77 assembly constituencies, and the ruling DMK struggling at 3rd place with 49 seats.
The halfway mark is 118.
If the trends remain as they are now, Actor Vijay’s TVK looks well in place to form a new government in Tamil Nadu.
And, led by whom?
Of course… Actor Joseph Vijay as the New Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu!
With this comes another filmstar to lead a government in Tamil Nadu.
Who is Vijay?
Vijay, who was born as Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, is currently one of the highest paid Filmstar in India.
He started his cinema career as a child actor in 1984, and later became one of the most successful stars in the Tamil Nadu film industry.
Vijay’s father, S. A. Chandrasekhar is Christian, and director, producer, and screenwriter by profession. He had launched his son’s acting career with Naalaiya Theerpu in 1992. It was a blockbuster super hit film.
Vijay’s mother, Shoba Chandrasekhar, is a playback singer and vocalist, and follows the Hindu religion. Vijay has been married to Sangeetha Sornalingam - a London-born Sri Lankan Tamil. The two are reportedly undergoing a separation and divorce after 27 years of marriage.
Vijay did his early schooling at Fatima Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Kodambakkam in Chennai, and later at Balalok School, Virugambakkam. He pursued a bachelor degree in Visual Communication from Loyola College, but dropped out early to focus on his acting career.
In March 2025 during the month of Ramadan, some images of Actor Vijay’s Iftaar party, were circulated to claim that he has converted to Islam. These reports were rumour. Nonetheless, Vijay maintains close contacts with all sections of the society and people of all faiths. He also regularly visits Hindu temples, mosques and church.
Actor Vijay’s Political Journey
Actor Vijay entered into politics in 2009 with the launch of his fan club Vijay Makkal Iyakkam. Members of the fan club contested in the 2022 Tamil Nadu local elections, winning 115 seats. Vijay announced the launch of a new political outfit, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam or TVK on 2 February 2024.
Vijay had opposed the Narendra Modi government’s Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, saying that it would disrupt the social religious harmony of the nation.
In September 2025, a huge controvery was sparked when as many as 39 people were killed in Vijay's rally held in Karur to kickstart his party’s campaign ahead of the Tamil Nadu State Elections.
Tamil Nadu is not new to filmstars storming into the local politics. The prominent filmstars before actor Vijay who ruled the Tamil Nadu politics included M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) – AIMDK founder who served as Chief Minister from 1977 to 1987 and J. Jayalalithaa – the close aid of MGR who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu multiple times.
Other Tamil filmstars like Kamal Haasan, Sivaji Ganesan, Khushbu Sundar, Sivaji Ganesan and Captain Vijayakanth are also in politics.
[Aneequa Sabahat Faizee is Staff Writer at ummid.com]
Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.
Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic
